Chevron Thailand's use of ICS (Incident Command System) in assisting with the 2018 Thailand Cave Rescue Operation

Abstract

Abstract number: 1141175 Chevron Thailand commenced using a form of the Incident Management System (ICS) for response to emergency incidents and conducted ICS training and hosted a large scale oil spill response exercise in 2017 and 2018 to increase Crisis Management Team (CMT), Asset Management Team (AEMT) and On-site Response Team (ORT) competency and team readiness, including maintaining relationships with organizations that provide emergency response support i.e. Thai government agencies, association and contractors. On 23 June 2018, 12 members of a Thai boys soccer team along with their coach became trapped in a cave in northern Thailand when flood waters cut them off from the entrance. Chevron Thailand Management in Bangkok was contacted by the US Embassy Bangkok requesting Chevron Thailand to assist with providing personnel and resources for the rescue operations. Separately, the Thai Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) also called for industry support in the rescue mission. This paper will present details of how Chevron Thailand utilized their preparedness training using ICS in responding to risks within Chevron Thailand's operations to take a leading role in assisting the Royal Thai Governments rescue of the 13 trapped soccer team members. The paper will also show how collaboration with Government officials in Company training and exercise events lead to not only a good working relationship but also better knowledge of the capabilities that Chevron Thailand can bring to the table in responding to any emergency incident.